


New Morning Routines

by Nad98



Series: Between Black and White [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Literal Sleeping Together, Mild Blood, Post-Episode: Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux | Sanders Sides, Remus is a little dissociated, Swearing, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25171708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nad98/pseuds/Nad98
Summary: To expect a usual morning after Remus being accepted was foolish. This much Logan knew. But seeing the Duke sleeping on the living room couch with Roman huddled against him had been a little more unusal than he had expected.(Takes place the next morning afterThe Lie of Black and White).
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Series: Between Black and White [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810210
Comments: 18
Kudos: 90





	New Morning Routines

**Author's Note:**

> You can listen to New Morning Routines [here](https://soundcloud.com/nada-st-50573248/new-morning-routine)^^

Usually Logan was not the first to wake up. But usually, he didn't have late night discussions with Virgil about Patton and Janus's strange familiarity while cooking together. And usually he didn't want to be up sooner so a certain Duke couldn't catch him off guard like he had the day prior, because now Remus was just as much invited to their family breakfast as any other side.

Logan liked that perspective a lot more than he had initially expected. Remus's inputs, except for the intrusive thoughts, were far more fascinating and unorthodox than the ideas the others came up with ever dared to be. It was challenging and – fun – in a way Logan hadn't thought he could appreciate.

But Logan wasn't thinking of that particular train of thought when he was on his way to the kitchen. Honestly, he wasn't thinking that much at all. Not with the sleep still in the back of his head and the need for a good morning coffee in his guts. He was moving on autopilot as he walked down the hallway, entered the kitchen, turned on the coffee maker and got his mug out of the cupboard. After the trusty machine made its usual loud noises, Logan was finally able to brew his coffee.

Not a minute later Logan could take his mug and was on his way into the living room. Quite contently he stepped through the kitchen entrance and strolled to his usual place at the dining table. Carefully, he sat his mug down on the table and was about to pull his chair back as he realized that there was a noise in the room that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Blinking he looked around and his eyes landed after a far too long moment on the two very big, very prominent and very unmissable twins laying on the couch tangled up on one another.

Logan just stared. Roman, wearing a black t-shirt and red knee length long shorts, was laying on his belly draped over Remus, head pressed against his brother’s chest. Remus beneath him, wearing a white-ish tank top and green booty shorts, was sprawled over the couch, his left leg tangling over the edge of the cushions in complete relaxation.

Logan blinked. Roman’s arms were put around Remus and Remus’s left hand rested on the small of Roman’s back. Logan blinked again and felt himself mindlessly walking towards the two. Remus’s eyes, Logan couldn’t see Roman’s face, were closed peacefully and his eyelids minimally moved as he breathed slowly and steadily. Logan had never realized who long Remus’s eyelashes were. The hair from his moustache moved slightly when he inhaled and exhaled so serenely.

Remus and Roman were sleeping on the couch in their living room.

And Logan found himself thinking that they looked undeniably adorable doing so.

Mesmerized Logan continued watching them. He noticed how their breathing was synchronous. There was a neatly bandaged bandage put around Remus’s right thigh and exactly five plasters on different parts of Roman’s left forearm. No illusions. Logan got closer. He saw the twins’ hands. Callouses on their knuckles and dried skin, which tore into small little valleys.

A little gasp escaped Remus’s lips and Logan then saw Roman hugging him tighter and burring his face even deeper into his brother’s chest. Remus relaxed and Logan realized that even in his sleep Roman was trying to protect and calm his brother down as much as possible.

“Buffoon”, Logan mumbled under his breath and needlessly readjusted his glasses.

He kept standing in the middle of the living room just watching them sleep. He had never seen him sleep, never Roman nor Remus either. It was strange that after over twenty-one years he got to see it for the very first time.

As the minutes passed without Logan really noticing it, there was a new sound. Logan immediately turned his head around and found Patton entering the room, watching him curiously. At once Logan brought his finger up in front of his mouth and motioning a “shh” sound with his lips, incredibly worried that Patton might wake up the twins.

For a split-second Patton was confused. Then he saw Roman and Remus lying on the couch and almost started to vibrate out of cuteness overload. Not moments later he stood next to Logan and watched the two brothers sleeping as well. Behind a sense of parental affection something in him remarked how Roman had positioned himself almost like a shield, making it impossible to touch Remus without touching him first. Patton pretended that this voice had never existed and just enjoyed this little view he had never been graced with when they were younger.

But Patton was aware that this moment was to end sooner or later, probably when Janus and or Virgil would join them in the living room. And so, he looked back to the entrance to the hallway and then up to Logan. Logic was enthralled, Patton realized. This very look of fascination, this glint of affection and anticipation was what Patton had always adored in Logan. Or in little Curiosity. It was why he had tried to at least like the first Creativity a little, even though he never liked him much more than Janus did.

And now this look and glint was back and directed towards Roman and Remus. The only two who could truly compete and keep up with Logan’s drive and determination. The two who rivalled his energy and challenged him so effortlessly and unapologetically just by being who they were. Patton was ought to let them meet up earlier. To let them talk and interact more freely and without shame. Because the way Logan just was in this moment while watching them, seemed to be so much more alive than he had seemed to be in weeks.

Steps, light and precise rang in Patton’s ears. Janus, he thought happily and saw just him enter the living room, wearing a long (fluffy) black bathrobe, yellow slippers and the his Trade Mark bowler hat, as well as his yellow gloves. Unlike himself and Logan Janus often came downstairs not dressed in his everyday clothes. But then again, Janus’s everyday clothes were anything but comfy, so Patton could understand that.

Brightly he waved to Janus, while the latter frowned slightly puzzled. Patton didn’t bother to clear anything up, he was sure Janus would see it for himself any minute now, and observed the slight rings under Janus’s eyes and the few hair strands which broke free from under his hat. The mask was slightly shifted from its usual place and Patton was not sure what that meant.

But that thought was gone as he saw Janus’s eye go wide and his lips form an involuntary ‘aww’ sound. Patton grinned and motioned him to get closer, which Janus did with no further question. Amused he watched the twins on the couch, Remus’s hand had slightly shifted from Roman’s back up to his shoulders.

Almost soundlessly Janus asked Patton: “Did you find them like this?”

“Logan did! It’s so cuuute!” Patton whispered with as much emphasis as he could muster without disturbing the two sleeping sides.

Janus just nodded, while watching his little one in utter and complete peace. Not that Remus was never calm or still, he could do that perfectly fine, it usually just meant that he was going to create terrible chaos a few moments afterwards. And nothing of this screamed chaos to Janus. It was a messy, Remus’s limbs were everywhere all over the couch, as Roman huddled against him. It was intimate and warm. Not demented. Finally, not demented.

And as he thought that the last pair of feet shuffled into the living room and Patton and Janus turned to see Virgil enter watching his fellow sides staring at something on their couch.

“Wha-” Virgil started but was immediately hit by the most accusing stare he had ever gotten from Logan and lifted his hands in defeat.

Janus rolled his eyes at Logan and made an inviting gesture towards Virgil, so he would come and see for himself. And hesitantly, Virgil came closer. And then he stopped seeing what the others were looking at.

Fuck. That was some fluffy shit right there.

“I thought they didn’t need sleep? Why are they sleeping here of all places? I – I can’t process this”, Virgil whispered ramblingly and Janus just shrugged in response.

To Janus this was of no importance. He just cherished this moment for once.

“I’ll inquire it in time. It is quite the curious affair”, Logan answered without looking away from the two again.

A little surprised by the slight waver in Logan’s voice Virgil tried to comprehend what was the reason for that waver. And then it clicked. This was what Logan’s voice always sounded like before he had drunken his first coffee, which meant that Logan didn’t have his morning coffee yet despite being the first one to be up, which meant that the discovery of the sleeping twins had distracted him so much from his morning routine that he forgot his borderline sacred morning coffee.

Roman made a noise in his sleep. All eyes flew on him and Logan noticed a small movement of his hand as suddenly in the wall to Logan’s right a low-light glowing aquarium appeared. The sound of water moving and a water filter whirring was sudden and let Janus flinch and Virgil gasp a little too loud.

And that little gasp woke Remus up. With the speed of a striking viper Remus shot to his feet, a silver longsword in his hands, standing in a fighting stance on top of the couch. That set Roman rolling with flying momentum from the couch and woke him up to a sudden feeling of pain and hard floor under him.

“Shit”, Roman mumbled out of breath while Remus looked around in the room searching for the danger that had woken him.

But Remus didn’t really see anything. Nothing threatening or unusual. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure who or what he saw and where he was, just that he was awake and he felt that he had been here before and nothing was new or threatening him-

And then his wandering, unfocused eyes had found the aquarium to his left and he was filled with a delight. One big jump from couch, no more than two huge steps and Remus stood so close to the pane that it almost started to fog from his warm breath.

Meanwhile the other sides came out of their initial shock and Virgil hurried over to Roman, Patton closing in on him shortly after. Carefully Virgil stretched out his hand to Roman as he asked: “You okay? I – I didn’t mean to – to startle him like this! I’m sorry!”

Roman just sat up, brought his hand up to the back of his head and rubbed it carefully while groaning. Only then he took Virgil’s hand and shot him a crooked smile.

“Bah! I’ve fallen far deeper than this. And you’re not responsible for this dunce being down for a fight like 24/7”, Roman said nonchalantly with a raspy voice.

Then he pulled himself up with Virgil’s help and blinked several times before he finally felt reality sink back in. There was Patton almost in front of him, concerned of course since he was afraid that he was hurt, Logan and Janus standing further back, Janus focused on Virgil and Logan looked to his right to the wall in a weird way. Roman followed that look and saw Remus standing in front of the aquarium, he had-

“Ah shit! I-”, Roman stammered as looked back from his dream creation to Patton, “I didn’t mean to conjure that! Sorry Pat, I’ll get rid of it as soon as Remus is back to reality. Just give him a moment to wake up.”

That statement got Roman an odd stare from Janus who asked while pointing to the Duke: “A moment to wake up? Does he look asleep to you?”

Roman stepped away from the couch, circled his shoulders and stretched his arms over his head, before he graced the others with his answer.

“I didn’t say he was still asleep but he’s definitely not booted up quite yet.”

“Booted up?” Logan said confused and watched Roman starting to stretch his legs and then his knuckles.

“Yeah. Like his interface isn’t loaded up yet. Can take him a moment until he connects.”

“Mere moments ago, he was standing in fighting stance to take apart whatever woke him up. And yet he is not quite connected to reality? How can these statements coexist with another?”

Roman rolled his eyes at Logan’s objections but answered: “Fighting is second nature to him. That's more of a knee-jerk reaction than anything. Like – you know what? Just watch.”

Then Roman grabbed a pillow from the couch and said to Remus: “Remus. Shit face. I hit my head because of you. I am in pain. Wanna mock me? Remus?”

Remus didn’t react at all and it was then when Roman lifted his arm and hurled the pillow across the room directly at Remus’s head. The impact finally caught his attention and with a confused look he turned around.

He was in the living room. The others were also all in the living room. Remus blinked. The last time he remembered being in this room before, it had been late and it had only been Roman and him in here. Now the others were here too, so it probably was no longer night.

The others stared at him. They probably expected him to greet them. That was what people did when they saw each other, right? Greeting each other?

“Good morning?” Remus said feeling like he said it wrong. “It’s morning, right?”

“Yeah, no worries. Everything good. Virgil made a noise and you catapulted me off the couch. Nothing out of the ordinary”, Roman said while stretching his back until it made a satisfactory cracking sound.

“Nothing out of the ordinary?” came a quiet whisper form Virgil.  
“How far did I throw you?!” came the enthusiastic inquiry from Remus.

“Just next to the couch. Not that impressive. But enough to startle me fully awake. Which is good. The others aren’t that used to zoned out us.”

“Dammit! Imagine them think were being infected zombies and panic and then getting guns or even better machetes and-”

“Not this early, Remus! Save it for later”, Roman pleaded with scowl and Remus shrugged and walked over to the others.

“Why were you two-” Logan started.  
“Your leg’s bleeding”, Virgil stated pointing at Remus suddenly reddening bandage.

Immediately all attention went to Remus, who looked down to his thigh and noted that his leg was indeed bleeding.

“Huh”, the Duke mused quite indifferently, while Roman groaned an pulled him towards the dining table, “seems that knife got in a little deeper than I expected.”

“No shit!” Roman grumbled and pulled out one of the chairs and lifted Remus’s right leg up on it.

Remus watched him do so calmly not protesting or fighting against Roman’s movements. Next Roman started to untangle the bandage and it was then when Roman suddenly got rather pale. Not because the wound was particularly gross or bad wound. No Remus and Roman himself had been hurt so much worse but the blood that was leaking through the white cloth – It made Roman’s head dizzy and his tummy contract.

Before Roman knew it, there was Virgil beside him and Remus pushing his hand away from his leg. Lightly, Roman shook his head, not feeling how Virgil held him at his arm, and locked eyes with Remus who just gave him a sympathetic look.

“You’ve seriously gotten worse with it? God it would be funny, weren’t you trying so hard”, Remus said, sighed and conjured himself a first aid kid and started to unpack it, after taking the bandage off completely.

“Are you – Are you going to fix the wound yourself?” Janus finally asked stepping to Remus’s right side.

“Yeah, sure. Don’t want Ro to faint because of some blood first thing in the morning. Sounds quiet boring to me”, Remus explained and got a flabbergasted look from Janus in return.

“What?”

Janus rubbed his eyes in frustration before he tiredly hissed: “We can heal, Remus. You don’t need to do it yourself.”

A moment passed.

A second moment passed.

“Oooh! Yeah, right! You guys can do that! Stupid brain! I entirely forgot”, Remus laughed and repositioned himself so Janus could get to his leg. “Would you? Please?”

“Of course,” Janus mumbled and with no further ado placed his hand above the wound.

Janus’s eyes began to glow yellow and he felt the gash under his hands. It was a stab wound. A curved dagger. Sharp blade and precise execution. Obvious malice its purpose.

With a stern look and his lips pressed together, Janus then exhaled and closed the wound with ease. Curtly he checked the closed skin and then turned to Patton telling him that it would be a good time to make breakfast. Patton looked at him a little confused, eyed the twins but then decided to do what he was told and went into the kitchen.

Janus then turned his attention to the two twins. Roman sat by now, angrily fumbling with his fingers with Virgil by his side. Remus had snapped the medical kit away, after cleaning the blood from his leg. Then he looked up and his eyes fell back to the aquarium on the other side of the room.

Janus just saw how much Remus was drawn to the object and the colourful life inside of it. He was not surprised as Remus walked back to the aquarium and sat himself down on the chair next to Roman. The Prince looked up with scowl in his face and Janus just raised an eyebrow.

“An aquarium?”

Roman, Janus and Virgil turned their heads to Logan, who pointed towards Remus, while looking at Roman.

“Why did you conjure an aquarium?”

The question caught Roman off guard and defused his frustration and anger at himself immediately.

“I – I don’t know really. No reason. I mean, I didn’t do it consciously. Probably, Remus was upset somehow and sea stuff always makes him happy. I mean just-”

“An octopus!”

The high-pitched, exhilarated exclamation caught the two former dark sides, as well as Logan rather off-guard. Roman only snorted and leaned his elbow on the table top observing how Remus turned back to them with pure joy written all over his face.

“Apparently, yeah. You know them better than I do.”

“It’s an octopus bimaculoides or also called California two-spot octopus! They live close to the cost and in subtidal depths and this one is my favourite! I’ll call it Spotty because of the iridescent blue spots under its eyes!”

“That’s perfect, Remus”, Roman said as Remus turned his whole attention back to the fish tank and looked over to the kitchen entrance, where Patton had struck his head out in slight sorrow. “I’m afraid, I won’t be able to just conjure the thing away again, padre. I think Remus might kill me for doing something to his precious Spotty.”

Patton stared at him wide eyed, nodded and went back into the kitchen. For one thing, he didn’t mind the aquarium all that much, he thought and tried to forget how innocent Remus’s babbling just had sounded.

Meanwhile, Janus focused back on Roman, who had regained some colour in his face again. Also, his hands weren’t shaking anymore even though he wasn’t even sure if Roman had noticed that they were shaking to begin with.

“Anyway”, Janus tried to reopen the conversation and got Roman’s attention, “I see you have recovered from – the blood? Was that the problem?”

Roman huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“I could have done it! I can tend to these kinds of wounds! I did it for years, for crying out loud!” Roman pouted and Janus had a hard time to not just roll his eyes at his dramatics.

Yet before Janus could respond otherwise Remus chimed in with a clam tone of voice: “Obviously you can. They’ve seen the stiches and the bandage. I couldn’t have done that myself. Stop beating yourself up about something as minimal as a weak stomach. It happens. Especially after just waking up and readjusting after getting out of the Imagination. It’s been intense.”

“Says you who was stabbed by your ridiculously stupid co-counsel! I can’t believe your still putting up with this cheap excuse of a man; it’s about the fourth time he has tried to attack you!”

“Come on, Ro. You know I need some bad boys around me!”

“Bad boys are not the same thing as evil power-hungry dimwits! And nobody even likes him, Remus! You need to get a proper right hand in his stead.”

“Where to get someone like that if not steal? You know what people I have to choose from.”

“I’m going to send Ren over to you. She’s going to sort the odd eggs out.”

At that Remus finally turned fully around and watched his brother in utter confusion. He couldn’t be serious.

“General Ren is your favourite”, Remus stated carefully and watched Roman observe him with tired eyes. “Why would you send her to me? You’d have to get someone new and you refused to let her go for over a decade now. Why’d you do that?”

Roman sighed and gesticulated as if it was the most obvious thing: “Because Ren is great at her job and if giving her a new position with you, means stopping you from getting needlessly stabbed that’s been worth it.”

“I – Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to be needlessly stabbed again! Rather I give up seeing Ren every other day but have you as safe and sound as can be! Does that get through your thick skull or do I need to drill it into you a little deeper, hm?”

Remus didn’t say anything. Honestly, he didn’t need to; the look in his eyes spoke volumes. In the end, even after all the stress they went through the just yesterday, even after hearing Roman thank him, even after him giving up on their lock, even after standing up for him, Remus had not been able to believe that Roman cared. That he truly and sincerely wanted him to be well, even if it meant for Roman to give up part of his own fortune.

“Message received”, Remus said simply and scratched his left upper arm. “But I’ll find someone else. I _will_ find someone and we won’t have to deal with Dalton again. I … I think I know which torture chamber I’ll dedicate to him, actually. Uh! I’m going to have so much fun!”

“Awesome, go nuts on him”, Roman replied with a slight chuckle.

At that Remus turned back to the aquarium for a moment. Patton now cleared his throat eerily aware that the others had not seen him stand in the door sill listening to the twins’ conversation.

Tense Roman watched Patton eye him up. The worry in Roman’s posture didn’t go unnoticed by Patton but he decided to not address it now and instead went for a topic change: “Does someone want to help me set the table? I’m finished making scrambled eggs, so we can eat any minute now.”

Virgil took the bait immediately, was on his feet and on his way to the kitchen without even saying a word. And to Patton’s surprise there came a second volunteer to his aid.

With a skip in his step Remus sprang to him with a wide smile and asked: “If I’ll help, I get to keep Spotty?”

“Uhm. You – we will keep Spotty no matter if you help or not. It is your favourite octopus after all, right?”

“Yes!” Remus squeaked joyfully and dashed past Patton into the kitchen. Immediately they heard Remus ask Virgil where the plates were and a follow up noise of clattering cutlery.

“I’m going to see if they’re doing okay”, Patton announced and hurried back into the kitchen while the three other sides stayed back and gave exchanged a look.

As no sound of terror or breaking plates followed, they silently agreed that it was going as good as it would Roman got back up on his feet to do some stretch. Logan sat down to his cold coffee, which he started to sip out of spite and acted as if it was still just as hot as it had been when he had first made it.

And Janus just watched the two for a moment. Still when Virgil and Remus shuffled in and outside the room again while putting plates, cutlery and glasses on the table, Janus’s eyes stayed on the both younger “light” sides and tried to memorize their positions. Their domestic behaviour was so new and unfamiliar to him. Logan’s stumbling words and his not quite smooth and precise movements as he drank coffee and Roman’s carefree display of himself and his usually so well guarded emotions, while talking to Remus and doing his morning gymnastics.

In a way Janus wished that it would feel more familiar than it did. And then eventually Patton came in with a pan of scrambled eggs and told all to sit down. Quickly they collected themselves at the table and Patton walked around it filling each plate after the other with as much as they wanted. He served himself last and then shortly disappeared back in the kitchen to put away the pan and then joined them with a bright smile.

“¡Buen provecho!” Patton said with a short glance to Logan and Roman who both nodded approvingly to his pronunciation and they all started to dig in.

For once, even Logan had agreed to eat a small portion and everybody was still for a short time eating their breakfast. That was until Virgil lifted his fork and pointed over at Remus, who caught the look and eyed him curiously.

“You’re using the fork like a normal person.”

Remus blinked and tilted his head to the side before he looked down to his hand holding the fork like a normal person.

“I am. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Virgil groaned and then added insistently: “You never acted so civil when we ate! And you – you are actually behaving decently the whole morning! What is up? Are you – are you like okay? You didn’t hit your head or something?”

“What are you talking about? He’s behaving perfectly normal”, Roman interfered with honest doubt in his voice and shot Remus a look who furrowed his brows.

“No, Princey he’s not! I’ve eaten with him like every day of my life since we were eleven. And that is not how Remus usually acts.”

“Falsehood.”

Virgil’s look darted over the table to Logan, who carefully put his fork on the plate and folded his hands patiently on the table.

“If I recall correctly, and I am positive I do, the few times we did eat together shortly after the split you always behaved decently, Remus. A little wilder than the rest but nothing out of the ordinary for a kid. Yet I don’t think you are lying Virgil, since you have no reason to do so, which means that in the past few years Remus was displaying unpleasant manners at the dining table, which leads to the question why are you not doing that now, Remus. If it is allowed, I’ll present my theory?”

“Enlighten me, Logie”, Remus prompted with a grin and Logan readjusted his glasses a little too quickly.

“The sudden more decent behaviour and milder temper than before corelates with the talk and peace offer with Thomas as well as your rekindling with your brother. Now, your acting out and playing to our sensitivities started to figuratively get out of hand when you got more and more repressed by Thomas and were cut off by Roman. So, I am to assume that the reconciliation between Thomas, Roman and you got you closure, which led to you stop needing to act so crudely.”

Remus blinked a few times before he broke into a smile and rested his chin onto his hand.

“Makes sense to me. Well done! Logic that makes sense even to me! Funny. Anyway, what do you wanna know, nerd? I see it in your face that you’re curious about shit.”

Logan straightened his back and with vigour he took the offer to ask: “Why did you two choose to sleep? And why not in one of your rooms which would be a far more private setting? Do you benefit from it in any way? Is it important that you sleep at the same time or is this just an arrangement to your liking? Also, can you conjure things in your sleep too or is this only something Roman can do? And on the note of co-counsel; why do require a co-counsel in the first place and what are they supposed to do in order to help you? What even is the current form of government, anyway? I assumed it was a monarchy, but since neither of you is actually king, neither of you would be the actual governor and have say in the politics.”

Logan took a deep breath and his eyes darted over to Patton just knowing that he wanted him to calm down and stop his questioning. But Logan was not going to stop now. He had been given the allowance to ask and Remus had agreed. He did everything right and he would not miss this chance.

“Nah! You said you let me ask questions, when they’re up for it and I was even asked to do so! I will continue! Now Remus, is torture the standard treatment for traitors, and if so, why has this Dalton not been arrested prior, when he has tried to assassinate you? Are there other sorts of punishment, since torture seems not to be the most efficient solution long term-wise, as people tend to revolt after a few decades of suppression and the fear of being killed for having an opinion? And does the imagination have an ocean since you seem to enjoy marine life forms so much?”

And then Logan stopped. He hadn’t talked so fast in a long time and almost felt a little dizzy from the giddy energy which rushed through his veins. He refocused and looked to his right where Remus sat and met his gaze with pure glee in his eyes.

And for a moment Logan was stocked. Someone who liked his questions, even seemed to be excited to hear them! And then he remembered that this someone was Remus and that his excitement was not always what one would deem as the healthiest form of excitement. And so, Logan let his eyes wander further to his right where he found Janus just looking bedazzled by the chaotic energy emitted by the two.

With bedazzlement Logan could live and motioned Remus to answer.

Remus giggled and scratched his nose flightily as he mumbled: “God, you’re hot when you’re allowed to talk without restriction!”

“Remus!” Roman squirmed from Logan’s other side deeply blushing from his brother’s shameless remark.

“What! You can’t deny that he’s attractive as fuck!”

“Please – Dear – Listen, I’m not going to say anything about it. And that’s that. Just – Logan, let me just start: why do you eat if you don’t need to? What do you gain from it?” Roman hijacked the conversation and got Logan’s slightly flustered attention.

“It usually serves to distract me. Taste is an unusual stimulus to me and at times it can help me to redirect or identify … impressions I experience.”

Roman blinked at the heavy-handed description of feelings but let it slide. It wouldn’t do him any good to fight Logan over this and just took the answer for what it was.

“So, it has a different purpose for you than it has for us, right?” Roman asked and Logan nodded.

“You are implying that sleep works similar for the two of you then, if I understand correctly?”

“Bingo!”

Logan nodded again and then turned his head to his right to see Remus give him an agreeing nod as well.

“So, what function does it have for you?” he asked and Remus was it this time who answered.

“Something like a setback. To cool down the whole engine for once. Like, we are reeling all day long. Even when we relax and do something for ourselves, we’re still connected with all the thoughts in Thomas’s brain. There’s never really time to just chill and – it gets” – Remus huffed and scratched his chin – “it gets tiresome after a while. Drives you a little mad, actually.”

“Ah”, Logan just mumbled and conjured himself his notebook and started to scribble something down in precise, curvy letters. “Then is it necessary for you to sleep at the same time?”

_“No”_  
_“Kinda”_

Roman exaggeratedly leaned over the table to get a better look of Remus, who spontaneously started to hide himself behind Logan.

“What do you mean with kinda? Remus?” Roman demanded his brother to tell him.

But Remus said nothing.

“Remus. Was the last time you slept before this the last time we’ve slept together?”

Remus didn’t answer. Which was answer enough.

“Let me guess”, Virgil said meekly, “it’s been a while?”

“It was before the Paranoia.”

Dead silence.

Then the creaking of a chair. Two strong feet stepping on the floor and the Prince standing up, looking over Logan’s head down to his brother.

“You can’t do that to yourself, Ree. It’s been years! I’m taking a nap at least once a month and lately even that seemed to be insufficient, so-”

“You just conjure aquariums in your sleep.”

Roman could end his brother’s statement in his head. Roman conjured aquariums, Remus tanks to drown in. Roman rarely dreamt, Remus was plagued with nightmares which would turn any person crazy. Next to Janus’s nightmares Remus’s had always been the worst, Roman remembered. And the only way to keep them out of Remus’s head had been Roman’s presence.

Roman brought his hand up to his face and covered his eyes in frustration. He didn’t care that Patton and Logan weren’t quite certain of what Remus had implied but understood that the tone meant bad news. He didn’t care that Janus and Virgil understood the implication far to well and at once completely understood why Remus chose to stay awake instead of sleeping.

He only cared about Remus avoiding his gaze right now and decided that it was not time to drown himself in sorrow.

“Logan?” Roman asked trying to sound as collected as he could.

“Yes?”

“I have an offer for you; we’re going to answer all those questions you’ve got if you’re helping me with something after breakfast. Deal?”

Logan quirks his eye brow and Remus peeked out behind Logan’s back.

“What sort of deal?”

Roman grinned and tilted his head in defeat answering: “In exchange for the answers, you’d help me work out the optimal “Nap Schedule”? Perfectly adjusted for Ree and me?”

…

“He wants a fuckton of answers. You should also make him help us with the redistribution of the positions in court, since our sides are joining forces again. I’m sure he’s better with the legal stuff than your sorry ass.”

And with that Roman and Remus started to bicker. Virgil eventually broke into a giggle fit, while Logan leaned back and enjoyed the brothers weird display of affection, while making first drafts of the optimal “Nap Schedule” in the back of his mind.

Patton smiled a little. He was unsure how he would be able to help them with their mess, but seeing them so alive and strangely happy, he had decided to try his best.

Janus smirked. Creativity meant chaos. It always did. It meant disassemble and reassemble every puzzle over and over again. It meant change even if everything was still.

And it meant for him that the aera of a new morning routine had come.

**Author's Note:**

> ...  
> This was supposed to be a cute, fluffly little one shote because the next piece of these series is going to be a little heavier again but ah well. here we are.  
> I hope you enjoyed it! If you've got the time please comment and leave a kudo! It means the world to me.  
> Now take care and have a wonderful day❤️


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